A Man's Adventures with God..

Happy New Year! Yeah I know I am a little late. How was everyone’s Christmas? Mine was pretty eventful to say the least.

As always, you are probably wondering what the title of this post is meaning.

Am I closing down this blog/site for good? Did something catastrophic happen?

The answer to both questions is, no.

I was at the doctor’s office a few weeks back because I wasn’t feeling well. Long story short, I just had the stomach bug. While I was there though, I had a wake up call. I was at my heaviest weight I had ever been at. I felt God tell me that if I didn’t do something about it now, it would continually haunt me.

So… I decided I needed to do something about it. I did my research on the majority of the diet plans out there, and I have decided to join the BeachBody community! This is a big step for me. I need all the help I can. I plan on blogging here still, and over at A Journey to Thin.

Prayers and continual support would be AWESOME!

Until next time readers,

God Bless

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Over the years, I’ve noticed that my Christian friends have a variety of practices and opinions on the concept of Santa Claus. After a recent discussion about this with my wife and her parents about the role Santa played in her childhood versus mine, I’ve decided to dig a little deeper into the matter.

Why is Santa considered a controversial topic? Is it because Santa isn’t in the Bible? Is it because it is too pagan? Does the idea/practice of having Santa involved in Christmas deceive kids?

Where does Santa come from? Most people agree he is based on St. Nicholas. According to Biography.com , he was born in Patara, a land that is part of present-day Turkey, circa 280. St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop who helped the needy. After his death, the legend of his gift-giving grew. St. Nicholas transformed into the legendary character called Santa Claus, who brings Christmas presents to children around the world. Check out the link for more information.

Isn’t helping the less fortunate one of the main parts of being a Christian? Jesus commanded us to love one another, and to love our neighbor. Isn’t that what Saint Nicholas did?

If you include Santa in Christmas, why not teach kids that being good doesn’t get you presents, but giving them is the bigger picture?

My wife came across the following the other day that is a way to incorporate Santa and not deceive your kids. Here is a great way to transition your kids from receiving from Santa, to becoming their own Santa.

When they are about 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready. Take them out “for coffee” at the local wherever. Get a booth, order your drink and make the following statement:

“You sure have grown an awful lot this year. Not only are you taller, but I can see that your heart has grown too.” Then list several empathetic behaviors, consideration of people’s feelings, good deeds etc.

“In fact, your heat has grown so much that I think you are ready to become a Santa Claus. You probably have noticed that most of the Santas you see are people dressed up like him. Some of your friends might have even told you that there is no Santa. A lot of children think that, because they aren’t ready to BE a Santa yet, but YOU ARE.”

Ask them the best things about Santa. Then continue with:

“Well now YOU are ready to do your first job as a Santa!”

Come up with a neighbor, or a friend to do a secret mission for. Find out deviously what that person needs and then provide it, wrap it, deliver it and never revel to the target where it came from. Being a Santa isn’t about getting credit. It’s about unselfish giving.

That is what Christmas should be like regardless. Be like Jesus, whether that is with or without Santa.

Until Next Time Readers,

God Bless!

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First off, I want to thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement when it comes to writing again. I really appreciate each and every one of you.

As normal, you are probably wondering where the title of this post is going. I work for a pretty big online custom apparel company. I had a custom the other day pronounce the word/brand of shirt Gildan, Gideon. I thought it was rather comical, but it got me thinking.

Does anyone ever check the dresser or night stands for the Gideon Bible? Does that even still exist? The last couple times I have traveled, I have looked, but have come up empty. Have the Gideon’s stopped handing out/leaving Bibles? Has our world changed so much that the act of sharing the Gospel has changed?

These are just some questions that popped up in my head after speaking with my customer.

What are your thoughts?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Good morning all! I bet you thought I fell off the face of the Earth. Well sometimes life gets in the way of things.

In the last post, I discussed being a coachable man, and needing a mentor in your life to help guide you along the way. This concept comes from Darrin Patrick’s book, The Dude’s Guide to Manhood.

A few things I took away from Chapter 2 include:

– At some point, we’ve all felt that we are cosmically insignificant–and then we work to bury that feeling as deep as we can.

– Men consumed with filling their own emptiness rather than acknowledging it cannot be taught.

– Learning to be coachable is impossible for men who are attempting to cover up their own lack of glory. Some men want to maintain the illusion of control, so they never acknowledge their ignorance.

– Enough excuses! Confront life head on!

– Being teachable means facing our weaknesses and our ignorance and having the courage and humility to change.

After reading Chapter 2, my search began to find a mentor. In my opinion, the best place to look is in your church. That is where I found mine. I wanted a guy that was older and wiser in many of the things that I myself want to be. He is a very passionate , yet kind and level-headed person. He works hard to provide for his family. I approached him with what I was looking for and he agreed to meet with me.

The problem I am having though is what to talk about in the first conversation. Do I discuss my past and what has brought me to the point of needing a mentor? Do I talk about current struggles?

I don’t know where to start.

Thoughts?

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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What does the word coach-able mean to you? Does it pertain only to sports, or can it be used in other life scenarios? In this case, it is someone who is willing to take and respond rightly to critique.

Who is your mentor? If you don’t have one, find one. You need someone in your life to act as your coach. Great coaches see something in us that we can’t see ourselves, and they work patiently with us to call it out of us. A great coach helps us become who we are and discover the buried inner glory that is waiting to emerge. They also challenge us to see something new in our world. They expand our horizons and introduce to areas that we never knew existed.

I myself really haven’t ever had a mentor, and I desperately think I need one. I haven’t really been able to connect with someone I can look up to, and be coached by. There may be people in my life that are willing to do this for me, but I have to allow them to as well.

For me, the search starts now.

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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Good afternoon readers! As I said in a tweet earlier this morning, I want to apologize for the lack of posts recently. My new nephew was in town from California, so my time online was limited. So, let’s pick up from where I left off. This post will finish out chapter 1 of The Dude’s Guide to Manhood by Darrin Patrick.

What if time travel existed? What if there was a shop where you could extend a certain day to be more than 24 hours. Unfortunately, those things don’t exist. But there is a way to “buy time”. It is with the choices you make.

Throughout my childhood and even now, I have heard the phrase “Make use of the time you have. You don’t know how much you have left.” How do you spend your time? Do you sit on the couch and let time just pass you by, or do you make good decisions with it? I myself have my days. Some days I just wanna sit on the couch and do nothing. What does that get me? Nothing. If I make good use of my time by being productive, I feel like I have accomplished something for that day.

Determined men realize that they have twenty-four hours in a day, and if they waste time it is because they intend to do so. Determined men take time seriously and are very intentional about how they use it.– Darrin Patrick

You only have one life. Make good use of it.

Until next time readers, God Bless!

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